Bold Iowa to Host Community Meetings on Dakota Access Pipeline in Advance of Dec. 15 Landowners’ Hearing on Eminent Domain

Bold Iowa to Host Community Meetings on Dakota Access Pipeline in Advance of Dec. 15 Landowners’ Hearing on Eminent Domain

Dec. 10 meetings in Grinnell, Newton and Storm Lake will update supporters on Iowa farmers fighting eminent domain seizure of their land for private profit pipeline

Des Moines — Bold Iowa will host a series of community meetings on Dec. 10 to provide an update on the Iowa farmers and landowners still engaged in a legal fight challenging the granting of eminent domain authority to seize their land against their will for the Dakota Access pipeline, and their upcoming court hearing in Des Moines on Dec. 15.

Supporters will gather outside the courthouse before the hearing starting at 8:00 a.m., and will be available to speak to the media briefly before entering to secure seats inside the courthouse.

Following the hearing, Bold Iowa and coalition partners will then march to nearby Cowles Commons to host a press conference and rally at 11:30 a.m., where landowner-plaintiffs challenging eminent domain, representatives from Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, and advocates will be available to speak with members of the media.

Landowner plaintiffs in the case include Cyndy Coppola of Calhoun County, who was arrested on her own land for which eminent domain authority is still under judicial review in this case.

The District Court on Dec. 15 will also hear Sierra Club Iowa Chapter’s challenge of the Iowa Utilities Board’s decision to issue a permit for Dakota Access to construct a hazardous liquid pipeline across Iowa.

Sierra Club’s attorneys will argue that Dakota Access did not show that the pipeline was necessary to serve the public; the impacts to the environment and the dangers of oil spills are reasons that the permit should not have been granted; and the IUB ignored the impacts of climate change.

Mark Hefflinger Bold's Digital + Communications Director. Mark was born and raised in Omaha, and holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Communications from Boston College. Mark has worked as a journalist in California, covering the digital media industry, music and LGBT issues, and since 2012 has worked as a digital organizer for progressive causes.

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